Fears of the Dead
by Anerali
Summary: Naruto knows that his kaa-chan will go through extremities to "help" them through their fears, but he realizes... there are some fears even she wouldn't dare to touch. *Revised
1. Chapter 1

_Naruto deeply regrets showing the Oiroke no Jutsu to Kaa-chan. Especially now, with Yoite-chan and him sitting on the grass in perfect seiza-style... it wouldn't do to forget the pose after the horrible pranks they suffered- courtesy of Kaa-chan- in order to perfect it._

 _He should have been able to interpret Kaa-chan's eyes when they shined dangerously after he showed it off to her. Now Yoite-chan and he have to take private kunoichi classes from Kaa-chan. And for someone who hates it even more than they do, she_ really _doesn't mess around with_ _the_ _lessons._

 _In a rare show of amusement, Kaa-chan raised an eyebrow at Naruto's less than enthusiastic expression. She took out a set of water brushes, writing ink, six papers, and a writing board._

 _"_ _ **Now**_ _," she started in their clan language, "_ _ **today we're going to learn something precious.** "_

 _Naruto perked up at this. He gleefully noted how the usual iciness in her eyes melted upon landing on his form. He watched as she slowly picked up a brush, dipped it in ink and wrote out some characters._

 _"_ _ **This**_ _," she muttered slowly, as if relishing the words tumbling out of her mouth, "_ _ **is our clan name. It can also be read as 'Hakushi' and it means 'White City'...**_ _"_


	2. Chapter 2

_Kaa-chan places down a new piece of paper after making them practice writing their clan name and slowly drew another character._

 _"_ _ **This is your imouto's name.**_ _" Her steady voice filled the silence. "_ _ **Her name means 'Evening Rain'. But sometimes we tease her with it's literal meanings. Yoite-chan for 'Good Hands' and Yoi-chan for 'Good'.**_ _"_

* * *

Yoite hates being around any adult that doesn't belong to their clan. Especially strong-looking men with big bellies.

So Naruto dragged to bluenette around, trying to convince the boy (who's actually a girl using a henge) to at least tolerate them. It's workimg so far... he thinks. Sh- he went from fearfully gazing around everywhere with weary, golden fire eyes to full-on ignoring their presence altogether.

But... when an adult raises a hand- or two- in their direction, ignored or not, she... _he_ will immediately flinch back. His hand would tighten around Naruto's whilst the other lightly touches his birthmark- it coincidentally looks like a pair of big hands wrapped around his throat if one looks closely. Luckily, whenever _that_ happens, their aunt, one of their uncles, or even the spiders would appear and take them away.

On the off-chance they don't, Naruto himself has to be the one to tighten his grip on his imo-... _otouto's_ hand and run home.


	3. Chapter 3

_Kaa-chan's eyes met Naruto's, then lowered to the paper she currently drawing the next character on. "_ _ **Your Naeru oji-chan has a special meaning to his name. 'Nae' oji-chan, as you two call him, means 'Seedling' or, more specifically, 'Rice Seedling'. But his full name can mean three things: 'Be lame', 'Droop' or 'Wither'.**_ _"_

* * *

Nae oji-chan occasionally takes the twins on small camping trips somewhere around their land. There, he'll teach them all he knows on fuinjutsu! It's usually fun, but it's really hard to remember what to write... Luckily, Nae oji-chan is VERY patient with them.

However there are times when they'll come across a snake eating it's catch. He'll immediately freeze at the sight, violet eyes becoming glazed with fear and hand automatically reaching up and scratching the two dots on the his arm. Naruto distinctly remembers Nae oji-chan calling them his "birthmarks".

Naruto would scrunch up his face at the sight. A decomposing animal entering the cavern called the snake's mouth- it's gross! He can't help but briefly wonder how Yoite-ch-...- _kun_ could keep a smile on he- er, _his_ face. No doubt sh- Naruto means _he_ \- has a lot of practice with their other uncle, Unomasuki oji-chan. Maybe with Jikkou oba-chan!

Definitely not with Kaa-chan though, she doesn't smile a lot... But he likes it when she does, she's really pretty!

No doubt though, Yoite- _kun_ would eventually grab hold of Naeru oji-chan's hand whilst Naruto takes the other, and they'll both lead the greenette back to his house. Naruto, though he ignores it, can't help but notice Nae oji-chan's usual grace become choppy, and his back gets hunched over as if he's in despair. His steps grow heavy, and his eyes get sad and all-knowing, just like oji-chan's summons!

There are times when Naruto would look back at their discarded campsite. He sees little spiders clustering about, neatly packing everything up, dragging them up the trees and disappearing. Then he turns his eyes to the snake, seeing it snap its jaw at the spiders surrounding it, only to fail over and over again. He watches as it gets lost in the cluster of spiders, and he keeps watching as the sight gets smaller and smaller.

It disappears, as it always does.


	4. Chapter 4

_Kaa-chan patiently draws something another paper and takes a deep breath. An exasperatedly troubled look passes over her face before it smooths over. "_ _ **This is your Jikkou oba-chan's name. You normally call her Kou oba-chan, which means 'Happiness', 'Light' or 'Peace'. But her full name literally means 'Run', 'Practice', 'Realization', 'Performance'... or 'Execution'.** "_

* * *

Kou oba-chan likes to stay away from the Hokage Tower. Naruto doesn't know why, but she really doesn't like going near the place! She even stays away from certain people! (Who Naruto eventually realized were part of this big thing called the "Council".)

They don't like her a whole lot either. When they see Jikkou oba-chan, Naruto and Yoi-ch-... _-kun_ (Naruto really should start getting used to calling his twin sister a male, or else their prank won't work), they somehow managed to think Kou oba-chan is their kaa-chan! But Naruto's not related to her, and Kou oba-chan doesn't look like Yoi-kun! She's blonde and blue-eyed, not bluenette and golden-eyed!

...

...

...

 _Ohhh..._

Through all that, she keeps hold of Naruto's hand, squeezing it sometimes as if to reassure herself of his presence. He thinks she does it to Yoi-kun too, because he'd heave up a sigh and a flash of worry would cross his pale face before a smile sets itself back in.

Whenever they're out shopping for groceries and the ingredient Kaa-chan wants is near a person she doesn't like, oba-chan's face would lose color and seem to try making herself smaller. She will hurry past the person, grab the item, pay for it and scurry out the store like it's on fire. All of which is done after they (Naruto and Yoi-kun) are thrown over her shoulders like two sacks of rice. The trio- looking peculiar with a dainty woman carrying two six years-old kids on her small shoulders and grocery bags with her thin arms- usually goes to a secluded place with lots of trees when that happens. She puts them down and mindlessly strokes her birthmark on the inside of her elbow. Her hair color would briefly shift to something orange but looks brown in the shade, then she grabs hold of their hands and goes straight back to getting the rest of the stuff Kaa-chan wants.

Once, when Naruto and Kou oba-chan were waiting for dinner to be ready- Uno oji-chan was training Yoi-kun and Nae oji-chan was helping Kaa-chan cook- he looked up from his Top Things to Look For As a Hiding Place After Publicly Pranking Someone\- courtesy of Kaa-chan because he was caught after a prank gone wrong (he'll never forget that glint in his kaa-chan's eyes when Uno oji-chan brought him to her, nor will he forget the speed drills she put Yoi-kun and him through, and the prank lessons she personally beat into them. The prank war that happened after that will never be forgotten as well)- and he tentatively started, "Oba-chan?"

"Hmm?" She skimmed her fingers along the pages of a medical book she was studying.

"Why are you scared of the Council?"

The blonde paused at this, looking up from her book to fully look up at Naruto. A confused look rolled across her lightly tanned face, before false cheer covered it back up. She helplessly shrugged and went back to reading, confessing to the blond child something that he never forgot. "I don't know. I just get a bad feeling."


	5. Chapter 5

_Kaa-chan yawned tiredly while she wrote another name. Naruto and Yoite-chan couldn't help but follow suit. Why yawns so con- contaji-... that word was definitely something about the subject spreading to others whether they liked it or not."_ _ **This is your Unomasuki oji-chan's name. It literally means 'Favorite between Cormorants' ... something about that. I do not have a perfect memory in regards to my otouto's name."**_

 _Naruto laughed uproariously as he fell out of his seiza. He briefly took note of Yoi-chan pull his lips into his mouth and biting to keep himself from laughing. The blond winced. Nae oji-chan... why did you have to put a seal on Yoi-cahn and him so they can "experience" what the other is going through to a "lesser extent"?_

 _... For some reason, Naruto feels like Kaa-chan has a REALLY big hand in this._

 _"_ _ **Naruto**_ _," She lightly reprimanded, "_ _ **do not lose your composure so easily**_ _."_

 _The boy himself scrambled back into position, looking as if he wasn't howling with laughter mere moments before... save for the imprint on the grass where he landed on._

* * *

It's Naruto's first time to the beach. The sun is going up, giving the sky an orange background and shading the clouds in cotton pinks and purples. All in all, the sight is breathtaking...

Looks like Naruto just found his favorite color.

He spends the day making sandcastles with Yoi-chan, being taught how to surf by Nae oji-chan, running across the sand with Kou oba-chan, and simply being around his kaa-chan while she made a game out of catching him whenever he fell off the surf board or tripped. She apparently raced with Kou oba-chan on who would get to him the fastest... Kaa-chan won, _of course_.

Through it all, Uno oji-chan sat on a blanket under a large umbrella. He stands out with his white hair and pale skin. He wears the same clothing as he usually does instead of beachwear- something that bothers Kaa-san, Naruto can tell. He had his head resting on his knees and he's wearing earmuffs! Naruto can't help but worry about him.

"Do not console him." Naruto jumped guiltily and turned to see his kaa-chan. She blinked at him blankly. Sometimes, Naruto wonders if Kaa-chan really is a human instead of a doll. He dismisses the notion, she actually acts more like her summons! "He has his pride. Lending the fool some comfort will not abate his fears, he tends to reject such privileges."

Naruto belatedly remembers Uno oji-chan's stories of his childhood with Kaa-chan once her words register in his mind. He remembers of one when Kaa-san found out of Uno oji-chan's minor arachnophobia. Apparently she built a house, filled it with her summons (making the entire world void of any spiders), tied him up with chakra-suppressing rope, and threw him in there. He stayed there as an unwilling guest/patient for a month. Uno oji-chan said that it was hard to get scared of spiders after that, because they fed him, bathed him, clothed him, did everything they could to keep him entertained. All without taking the rope off him- they were under strict orders to keep Uno oji-chan bound.

She did the same to Kou oba-chan and Nae oji-chan when she learnt of their discomfort toward spiders. Naruto can't help but feel lucky he actually, really _likes_ spiders instead of fearing them.

"Okay." He says to Kaa-chan, who nods to him in acknowledgement and pats his head before disappearing. He turns back to Uno oji-chan and watches the man shiver as a particularly loud wave seems to been heard through the sound blockage. He sighs and strolls over to his otouto to distract himself. Naruto knows that his kaa-chan will go through extremities to "help" them with their fears, but he realizes... there are some fears even she wouldn't dare to touch.


End file.
